Seems like just yesterday Shen Yun Performing Arts launched the 2013 world tour, and now it’s already over.

Setting out from New York, the dancers and musicians traversed baking-hot deserts, frosty mountain ranges, and seemingly endless cornfields. Snow gear, rain gear and, of course, beach gear, helped performers complete their mission across five continents.

International Company was the first to set off last December, opening the 13 season in Argentina’s Buenos Aires. New York Company quickly followed with its season premier in Mississauga, Canada. Two days later, Touring Company opened in Cleveland.  

Over the five months that followed, Shen Yun completed 354 performances in 18 countries. Artists persevered through earthquakes in Taiwan, blizzards across the U.S., and a nuclear standoff in Korea.

Of 106 cities visited, some like Taipei, enjoyed the performance for the seventh year running. Others, like Mexico City and Albuquerque, embraced Shen Yun for the first time.

Homebound!

Now the performers, away from home and family for almost half the year, have finally returned. Over a thousand costumes are in for a good cleaning. With a new production each year, these costumes now look forward to a quiet retirement in Shen Yun’s wardrobe storage.

Choreographers and composers are already setting in motion the wheels on the 2014 season locomotive, and fans worldwide eagerly await. But for the performers just returned, countless memories from their latest fantastic journey live on…

And so here’s a look at some of last season’s highlights by the numbers.

Longest stay at venue

April 20-28, when New York Company played 11 shows at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center.

Shortest stay at venue

There were many “double show plus load out” venues this tour, most of them in Japan. There, Shen Yun Touring Company regularly completed two performances, and exited the theater—having already struck the stage and loaded the trucks—no later than 10 p.m. Think cleaning your room is hard? Try emptying a theater-full of costumes and equipment in less than one hour!

The shortest of short stays came in Nagoya, where, having entered theater doors at 9 a.m., the company completed setup, spacing, performance, strike, and load-out in a record 13 hours.

Biggest theater

In early May, Shen Yun debuted in Mexico at the capital’s Auditorio Nacional. This is one of the world’s largest theaters, and the venue for the 1968 Summer Olympics gymnastics events. International Company’s finale there drew some 6,000 people.

Farthest-reaching performances  

A mission of reviving traditional Chinese culture and sharing it with the world naturally involves bringing the show to all corners of the globe. In 2013, our farthest-reaching cities were:

Northernmost: 59.33° N at Cirkus Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, April 8-9.

Southernmost: 41.2889° S at St. James Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand, Feb. 5-6.

Westernmost from the International Dateline: 157.8583° W at Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu, Hawaii, May 3-5.

Easternmost from International Dateline: 174.7833° E at The Civic in Auckland, New Zealand, Feb. 8-9.

Total air miles

International travel, especially across Asia-Pacific, means many visits to the airport. This year Shen Yun Touring Company tallied 14,000 miles.

Where in the world was Shen Yun when X?

Even though they spent most holidays on the road, performers didn’t miss out on all those special occasions. It might be too dangerous to carve a turkey on the bus or light fireworks on a 737, but the Shen Yun team is a big family, and isn’t that what holidays are really about?

Here’s where Shen Yun was on…

Christmas Day: Mississauga en route to Ottawa (Canada), Houston (TX), and somewhere between Cleveland (OH) and San Diego (CA).

New Year’s Eve: Montreal (Canada), Houston (still), and Escondido (CA)

Lunar New Year (Feb. 10): Boston (MA) Columbus (OH), and Sydney (Australia)

Lantern Festival (Feb. 24): home base (NY), Denver (CO), and Taipei (Taiwan)

Easter: Frankfurt (Germany), Seattle (WA), and Taoyuan (TW)

Mother’s Day: Chicago (IL), just back from Mexico City, and Syracuse (NY)

We’ll Be Back!

The 2013 season may be over, but don’t forget—every year Shen Yun brings a set of all-new programs.

The artistic team is promising another spectacular show, and keep an eye out for some surprises. Click Notify Me to make sure you won’t miss out.

Next year too long a wait? Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra is returning this autumn with its own U.S. tour. After last year’s astounding debut at Carnegie Hall, the symphony will embark on its first tour season, featuring orchestras, conductors, and singers from all three companies. Check out the performance schedule here.

May 29, 2013